The NFL PUNT, PASS & KICK program is a way for girls and boys in five separate age divisions (6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, and 14-15) to compete against each other in punting, passing and place kicking. The PPK program is free to every youngster who wants to participate!

Hello and welcome to News Happenings Around Town, your one-stop source for City information and news updates, including those items most important to you.

It has been very hot and dry here in Blue Springs and we are still under a burn ban. This ban applies to all outside or open fires, except residential barbecuing. Please, be careful when barbecuing as decks and landscapes are very dry and even a tiny spark could ignite a fire.

We re-opened Vesper Hall as a Cooling Center in response to the excessive heat warning for Jackson County issued by the National Weather Service. Please be sure to pay special attention to senior citizens, young children, those with health or breathing problems and outdoor pets.

The Jackson County Charter Review Task Force is holding a public hearing on July 23, at 10 a.m. at the Courthouse Annex, 308 W. Kansas in Independence to receive input on Term Limits, Campaign Finance and Filing for Office. For more information about the county charter review process, click here.

Congressman Graves' office will hold a mobile office at City Hall in the East Conference Room on July 20 from 11 a.m. to noon.

Also, the Blue Springs Citizen Police Advisory Board has published the July 2012 Public Safety Sales Tax Status Report. To see this report, click here.

As always, please continue sharing this timely publication and spreading the word about what's good and going on in the City of Blue Springs.

Summer Road Construction Updates

The summer road construction season is in full swing and I would like to give you a quick update on some upcoming road construction in our area.

Woods Chapel Road As you may have seen, construction on Woods Chapel Road is moving along nicely. On July 9, construction started on NW Valley View Road and as a result, Valley View Road will be closed immediately west of Woods Chapel Road. Traffic will be detoured to NW 37th Street and then to NW Valley View Place. Woods Chapel Road will remain open. Weather permitting, this road closure is scheduled for approximately one month.

Highway 7 MoDot will be working on asphalt overlay on North and Southbound lanes of Highway 7 between Pink Hill Road to just south of US Highway 40. This construction will take place between July 11 and November 30 from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., weather permitting. There will be various single lane closures to accommodate traffic.

US Highway 40 New pavement construction on US Highway 40 from Route AA and BB. This construction will take place between July 9 and October 31 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weather permitting. There will be various single lane closures to accommodate traffic.

Sni-A-Bar Waste Water Treatment Plant Just a quick update that construction is going well at the Sni-A-Bar Waste Water Treatment Plant and we look to have a ribbon cutting at that facility in early Fall. This project was recently featured by the Kansas City Business Journal's Top Area Construction Projects list at number 17. This list ranks projects based on construction cost, completion dates and square footage.

I hope you have found this issue of News Happenings Around Town to be both informative and timely for your City information needs. Is there anything we missed? Do you have questions about any of the articles from this issue? Share your thoughts with me and the City Council by calling City Hall at (816) 228-0110. Know that we truly value your time and support for our City and hope you join us for the next issue of News Happenings.

Sincerely,

Carson Ross, Mayor

City of Blue Springs

Our

Mission

The City of Blue Springs is a unique community where families, visitors and businesses share a special quality of life and an abundant spirit of community closeness and cooperation.

Our number one goal is to ensure that our residents, visitors and patrons receive quality customer service and attention with every program and service the City provides. Just as you stand by a community that strives to meet your family's needs, we promise to do our best to meet these needs and anticipate what's best for you and our community, to the best of our ability.